THIS BOOK IS DISCONTINUED
1, 2, 3, guys in hand cuffs. 4 guys so far in hand cuffs. Wait, 5 guys being lead in one after another in hand cuffs and everyone else down here at the Los Angeles Drug Enforcement Administration office continue doing what they are doing like this is normal. They were young, couldn't be any older than 18. A mixture of guys from Black, to Latino and Caucasian who remind me so much of the gang.
I sat on a cold wooden bench with my right leg crossed over my left, bouncing up and down on my third cup of coffee. Even though the office was muggy and loud with papers rustling, computer keys clicking and officers moving out, I shivered violently. It has been three days since I've seen Kash lying face down on the lawn with handcuffs around his wrists and being yanked up by two burly officers and shoved in the back of the cop car by some others. He didn't even try to fight them and they treated him so violently.
I've been in and out of the office since that evening, not wanting to leave no matter how many times they told me that I should go home and rest and tend to my children but I left them with Valentina.
"Cammie-Cammie stop shaking," the warm hands of my older sister pressed down into my shoulders and my violent shivering stopped. I rolled my lips together and tasted the harsh black coffee on my lips and closed my eyes down for a moment. I started shaking again.
"I can't," I shook my head and tears rolled down my cheeks.
Candace put her left arm around me and brought me closer. I cried into her chest that cushioned me and wanted the whole office to know what they were ripping away from me. I wanted them to know that this wasn't supposed to happen and we eliminated Diablo, a drug lord that they couldn't get a hold of. I wanted them to hear every note in my sobbing, every high note in my bawling and feel what I was feeling right now. I wanted these insensitive officers to relive what I lived and understand why they can't just take Kash from me like this. Why they can't hurt our family when things were supposed to get better from here on out.
"Listen, hun. I know how you feel. Trust me I understand how you are feeling but I need you to calm down, okay? Things are going to be alright," Candace tried preaching to me but I shook my head and broke away from her embrace.
"How do you know that?" I threw my hands up.
"Cammie-" Candace began.
"Why would anyone call the cops? Who else even knows about this? Why now?" I asked loudly and a few officers looked over and a middle aged woman walked up to me with short blond hair.
"Ma'am you need to calm down. What is your name?" she asked me.
"Cameron," I said as I settled down for a moment, "when am I going to be able to see him?" I questioned her.
"Raoul McDufy? He'll be out in a moment. He's being questioned," she told me and I nodded slowly as she rubbed my shoulder and then took my empty cup of coffee and walked away, tossing it into a trash can.
I waited and about a half an hour later, I saw the officers bringing those 5 guys back out and he lined them up still in their hand cuffs. And then I saw two officers holding Kash with his arms behind his back and his hand cuffs on. My throat dried up and I heard one of the guys say something.
"Yo, check it out homes, that's the Kingpin," one of the guys nodded over at Kash, "went under the radar for years. Now it finally caught up to him-and his wife." He finally looked over at me. I guess all of the underground work the gang has been doing got their names in the mouths of all of these other little street gangs. It is so scary how they look at Kash as the Kingpin...they singled him out as being the leader of all of this.
I stood up, my legs weak from the bench and approached Kash. The officers left for a moment and Kash stood there before me. His hands behind his back and he looked directly at me and I looked back at him. He finally blinked and I expected tears but there were none. Kash was in the same thing that he was arrested in the other day of course, his navy blue V-Neck and dark jeans. Rebekah and Nicholas had come over to hang out with him.
"Did you find out wh-" I began to say but Kash cut me off.
"I love you," Kash told me all of a sudden and my lips rolled together.
"Why are you saying that?" I asked him as my eyes darted all over his face for some answer immediately.
"I just wanted you to know," Kash said to me.
My lips trembled, "Wait Kash, do you at least know who did this? Who told?"
"No. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm in some deep trouble, Cam," Kash looked around and leaned down to kiss me on the lips and he dragged it out long.
"Aww man. He's not getting out. You can tell they're about to keep his ass_ here 'til he is as old as my g-ma," one of the guys said.
Kash broke the kiss but still kept his face close to mine but he was able to shift his eyes to look over at them and he gave them a hard look and the peanut gallery was no longer heard.
"Is that true?" I asked him.
"No baby don't believe that," Kash kissed the left side of my mouth, "I'll be out of here before you know it. Just need to clear some things up."
Before I could respond Kash took his left foot and lined it with the inside of my left foot and moved around to my left side, his body glued to my side and he moved my hair with his nose and then spoke into my ear.
"Everything is in your name except for my cars. If they haven't searched the house yet, then they are going to. You need to get home and clean out anything that will give them any answers," he began.
Kash spoke a little faster, "They'll seize all of the cash and the charges are crazy. You won't be able to afford to keep the house so you and the kids have to move. Don't be afraid to ask for help, Slim won't mind but my sisters might hesitate."
"Put the things in storage and pay for as long as you can. I have some cash hidden in the DVD cases on the third shelf...all of them in fact. Then check in my blue shoe box under those new shoes I bought not too long ago. It's a pretty good amount that I stashed away so don't waste it. If they question you just say that I didn't tell you much about anything," Kash told me and some of the officers started coming over.
"You got it? Don't hesitate if you need help from anyone and don't think this is all of your fault. Take care of our babies alright? Saldré de aquí pronto, no te preocupes Cammie. Te amo!" Kash shouted at me as the officers dragged him away.
"I love you too." I told him and followed after them and pulled the front of Kash's shirt as hard as I could and he forced himself closer and broke free from their grip and I kissed him on the lips until they made the connection break and I watched Kash be brought away.
"Damn, son. They dragged him away in front of his girl like that. They didn't have to do her like that," one of the guys said.
"It's on the papers man, front page. They arrested him on his front yard and his kids were there. They're like the ages of my niece and nephews. Said he's getting life for drug trafficking, weapon charges and a couple of murders. The whole nine," another said.
"That's fucked_ up. He ain't getting out at all," I overheard.
"They don't have proof of half of that shit_ he did. You hear that Mrs.?!" one of them called out to me.
I wiped my eyes and turned around, walking over to them, "What did you say?" I questioned.
The one in the middle spoke. He has light colored skin and dark, deep set brown eyes and short hair. He was a skinny and tall person with a chiseled jawline.
"I said they don't have the evidence. The only thing they can get him for is the weapons. And if you go and move all of them then that'll be your ass_ Mrs., so just move some of them so you don't get thrown in a cell and become some big heifa's_ bitch_." He told me.
"Why are you guys here?" I asked them, "How old are you?" I looked at them all.
"16," they all said.
I sighed and shook my head, "You guys are babies. You're not supposed to be in here." I told them.
"It's just for racing stolen cars. No biggie." One shrugged and laughed, reminding me of London. Stolen cars, and they're in the DEA office, that's a lie.
I sighed, "Don't be like my boyfriend. Get it together because you'll hurt yourself in the end," I sighed, "and whoever you're romantically involved with and trust me it hurts."
"We're all good, but if you need your grass cut I'm your guy," one smiled at me.
I nodded with a smile, "You guys behave now. I don't want to see any of you on the paper," I told them as I walked over to Candace.
"I hope everything works out for your Mrs....I mean Miss!" the tall and skinny one said as the officers moved them out.
When I went to sit down, an officer approached me. She was a tall and shapely black woman with closely cropped hair that was dyed an auburn color. She pursed her full lips and looked at me for a long time before she called my name.
"Cameron Frederick, I need you to follow me," she said and I stood up immediately, later finding out that I was going to be questioned.
I had to deny everything that I knew before, lie about my involvement and knowledge of Kash's criminal activity. I felt like it all went well until the officer introduced herself to me.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked me.
I looked at the pin on her shirt with her name, "Sandra Walmms," I read.
"Yes, my son attends Tacopa High School, Sean," she said to me and I felt ashamed.
"I'm his Literature teacher," I bowed my head and sighed.
"You should be ashamed. You harbored a criminal in your home in a neighborhood with low crime rates and you had the nerve to try and teach young women about having respect for themselves. And those two kids, your niece and nephew wanted to save that man from being taken out of this community and I told them no....it was for the best," she said to me.
Now I remember why that day Nicholas told me that someone said it was for the best that this happened.
"You got him arrested?" I asked her.
"I can't tell you that-" she sat back and looked me over, "but what I can tell you is that this man will not make his way back into the community-" she stood up.
"No matter how much you cry," she exited. Maybe Kash does have to go away for good. But how did he disrupt anyone else?
-
"Thank you so much Valentina," I said as she placed Camron in my arms and he giggled and smiled at me. Valentina wiped the tears from her eyes and looked me over.
"Be brave, honey," she said to me as Riley came outside slowly with Rubin following after her.
"Hey baby," I smiled down at her and then leaned down to kiss her head and used one hand to rub Rubin on the head, running my hand through his fiery hair.
"Where's daddy? He said that we were going to the park," she said to me.
I sighed and rolled my lips together, "We'll see daddy soon."
"How soon?" Riley asked me as she beamed, thinking that Kash would be home soon.
"Soon soon," was all that I could say.
"I want Rebekah," Rubin said all of a sudden and I looked at him long.
"You want Rebekah? We can't go there right now," I explained to him, "I have something to take care of."
Rubin nodded and stretched his left hand out and held onto my hand and I looked at Valentina and smiled half way and then walked down the path back to the car.
I got everyone in the car and started driving when Riley said, "Mommy my birthday is coming up. We should have a party."
I smiled and looked at her in the rear view mirror, "That sounds nice sweetie. What do you want the theme to be?"
Riley shrugged, "Daddy said that he was going to do basketball this year and get a basketball court installed in the back yard this year," she clasped her hands together and smiled.
"Isn't that great? Now I can beat Rubin at basketball and wrestling," she crashed her fist into the palm of her other hand and laughed.
"Rubin what do you think about this?" I asked him as I tried to shake the fact that Riley wouldn't see Kash for a while.
"My mom is from Portugal," he said to me all of a sudden.
I smiled, 'Really...that's nice. Did she speak any Portuguese?" I asked him.
"Yeah, but I only know my alphabet," he looked down and twiddled his thumbs as Camron started giggling and screaming again.
"You want to say it?" I asked.
"No...not unless you say it with me," his eyes met mine in the mirror.
"Well I don't know the alphabet in Portuguese," I responded.
"I'll teach you," he smiled at me for the first time, "-it sounds like magic."
"What else does magic sound like?" I laughed.
"My mommy," Rubin responded.
-
July 2nd got here fast and I was stressing out because Riley thought that Kash coming home was going to be a surprise present. There was so much going on during this time, I was in the process of moving, preparing a lesson plan for when school starts up again, and trying to avoid the news reporters that have been at my door step. I didn't think that this would get that much attention because Kash isn't the big drug lord but everyone is seeing him that way. What about everyone else? Why isn't Travis being ripped away from his family?
"Yeah, the things in that room are for sale and these are going straight to the Storage Castle not too far from here," I told the men that came into my home the morning of Riley's birthday. It was 6 in the morning to be exact and I needed most of the furniture out of here and was going to sell the rest. I found a place in another area of Los Angeles, a 3 bedroom, one and a half bathroom house. It's not a mansion, it is more of the home that I wanted for my kids and it's near a pretty good elementary school but I prefer to drive them out to go to a better school. I just wished the area was a little nicer, it tends to be a little shady.
"Mommy...why are we moving?" Riley shocked me by coming downstairs.
"Because," I picked her up from the bottom of the staircase and brought her over to the kitchen island and sat her down on it, "-we need to go somewhere that mommy can afford to raise you guys. It's going to be a little bumpy for a while."
"Why?" Riley asked me as she turned her head to the left.
"I'll explain later," I pulled her off of the counter, "go upstairs and get more rest so you can party later." I laughed and she walked towards the stairs.
"Mommy, I love you and daddy at the same time but you guys aren't here at the same time," she said to me.
"Well your dad and I love you too." I smiled at her and watched her head upstairs.
Riley's birthday was successful and she had a lot of fun. Rubin got to meet some of her friends from preschool and I was glad that he was having a good time also. The gang was here but I was distant from them as possible and they noticed that and gave me my space. Rubin was also glued in Rebekah's arms at one point in time because I guess that is where he is the most comfortable.
Later on that week when Kash's cars were seized and the money was drawn from his account and the remaining of his guns, I displayed the furniture that I was selling onto the yard and the word was spread around so I did have a lot of people stop by and purchase. A lot of them came to ask me questions and the news crew was here for a while and then left. I hate having my face on the news because I don't want my children to come across this one day or for people to come after me if there is anyone out there that has a problem with Kash.
This is a wealthy neighborhood so people did pay good money for additions to their home. And a few of my students stopped by, feeling sorry for me and thinking it was a joke.
"I can't believe you were a gang banger all of this time," one joked when he hugged me.
"I wasn't," I pulled away, "if you are not buying then please leave."
Around 5 P.M. there were only small items left and I was just going to get rid of them because I had quite enough cash for now. However a black sports car pulled up outside and the door opened slowly. I was waiting for the person to come out and they waited a while and then stepped out, closing the door behind them as they approached the curb with a smile on their face and hands shoved deep into the pockets of an expensive suit.
I sighed and turned my face, about to walk into the house to avoid him.
"Excuse me, ma'am. I'd like to buy this bowl," I heard and turned back around.
"It's not just a bowl, its decoration. 100 dollars." I told him.
"That's pretty steep for a bowl," he leaned back to look at it, "I'll give you 25."
"100. Its limited edition and I could really use the cash right now," I rolled my eyes.
"Speaking of Kash...let's talk about him. How much time is he doing?" he asked me.
"I don't know yet," I shrugged my shoulders and then folded my arms, "Help me bring the rest of this stuff inside. It's not much so I might just trash it."
He helped me move things inside of the barren house one by one until the yard was clear and I took the signs down. I already had the furniture at our new place and we did move into the neighborhood. Right now Rebekah was staying at the new house with the kids while I was here finishing up work. It was a lot of space and a lot to clean up so I will be coming here back and forth for to get rid of some things until it is sold and it's up for 750,000 way less than Kash initially paid for it.
I locked the door behind me and turned around, sighing as I moved past him and headed out to my car.
"Why are you here?" I asked him as I put one hand on my hip and leaned against the driver side of my car.
"I just wanted to check up on you. You know with all of the crazy stuff that has been happening, I figured you needed a shoulder to cry on," he pulled a rolled up newspaper out of his pocket and showed a picture of me, "-and to tell you that you look fine as hell in this picture the news reporters took of your off guard."
I snatched the paper and looked at it, "I can't afford for my face to be all over the papers like this. What did I do wrong?" I sighed.
"Being the mother to children of a criminal and not turning him in. You know...the basics," he smiled at me and I huffed, shoving the paper in his chest. I tried to open my car door and he stopped me.
"Alright listen Cammie. I'm sorry for joking around so much about this but he's going to get out of this somehow. What did he say to you, he won't leave you and your kids like that. Kash has something up his sleeve and he'll get back to you guys as soon as he can. Don't sweat it," Donatello looked deeply into my eyes and I remembered the night we did what we did and how I felt afterwards. I don't even want to be around him anymore.
"And if you ever need anything from me, don't be afraid to come and get it," he smirked and leaned down in my face.
I rolled my lips together and smacked him on the cheek, "Don't you ever stand on the property of my man and disrespect him and myself like that. What we did is over with...buried, never to resurrect. Don't try to make any moves on me and don't but into the lives of me and my children. You did your damage," I said as I opened my car door and started it, speeding off and looking at Donatello from the rear view mirror standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets again.
I don't ever want to remember what Donatello and I did and that is something I cannot forgive myself for. I just wish that I could go back and undo everything that ever made me get to this point. I guess that means I should have asked Kash to kill me for being a witness.
_So that was the first chapter, not that eventful I know but sh!t will get crazy from here on out and you know that is a promise. So what do you think Kash's sentence will be? I'm not afraid to take risks in this book. And Sean's mom, one of Cammie's students is the one who said it was for the best, not Candace. Do you think Candace has a role in this? And Donatello made a return and it seems like he is set on getting to Cammie. Do you think she will let him?_
_So that is the first chapter and I am so excited. I have to focus on school and I want this to build up a lot of reads, comments and votes so next chapter will be September 13th at 8 P.M. sharp!_